What pilots do in the flight deck

By AUBREY COHEN, SEATTLEPI.COM STAFF

Published 8:46 pm, Thursday, March 1, 2012

Ever wonder what pilots do up in the flight deck of an airliner before takeoff?

The folks at Baltic Aviation Academy produced the comprehensive videos above, showing the procedures on a Boeing 737 and Airbus A320, from dark to taxiing. I won't attempt to explain all the technical stuff in the video. But it's worth noting that the APU is the auxiliary power unit, a small engine in the tail of the aircraft that mainly serves to provide power for starting the main engines.

Click through the images to see the flight decks of various airliners. Note a major difference between Boeing and Airbus airplanes is that Boeings have a traditional control yoke between the pilots' legs, while Airbuses have sidesticks.

The Airbus design leaves room in front of the pilots for a table, which the pilots of a Northwest Airlines airplane infamously said they used to pop open their laptops and discuss scheduling, all while overflying their destination by an 150 miles, in 2009 (some experts have said it's more plausible that they actually fell asleep).

Models dressed up as characters from the film "Avatar" pose in the flight deck of an Avatar-themed Virgin Blue Boeing 737 during the launch of "Avatar" Blu-ray and DVD at Sydney Domestic Airport, in Sydney, Australia.

Models dressed up as characters from the film "Avatar" pose in the flight deck of an Avatar-themed Virgin Blue Boeing 737 during the launch of "Avatar" Blu-ray and DVD at Sydney Domestic Airport, in Sydney,

U.S. Airway pilot Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger (left) and co-pilot Jeffrey Skiles speak in the flight deck of an Airbus A320 moments before takeoff from LaGuardia Airport on Oct. 1, 2009, Sullenberger's first official day back after his and Skiles' emergency landing of flight 1549 into the Hudson River after it lost power in both engines following a bird strike last January.

The flight deck of a Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental is seen in assembly on Thursday, June 2, 2011 in Boeing's wide-body plant in Everett, Wash.

The flight deck of a Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental is seen in assembly on Thursday, June 2, 2011 in Boeing's wide-body plant in Everett, Wash.

Photo: Picasa, Aubrey Cohen/seattlepi.com

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Boeing employees Paul Coy, left, and Nathan Nelson, work on the flight deck of Boeing's 787 Dreamliner interior test airplane during a tour of the new aircraft's passenger cabin and flight deck at the Boeing plant in Everett on Wednesday.

Boeing employees Paul Coy, left, and Nathan Nelson, work on the flight deck of Boeing's 787 Dreamliner interior test airplane during a tour of the new aircraft's passenger cabin and flight deck at the Boeing

A Boeing 787 Dreamliner flight deck is shown at the Dublin International airport in Dublin, Ireland on January 26, 2012.

A Boeing 787 Dreamliner flight deck is shown at the Dublin International airport in Dublin, Ireland on January 26, 2012.

Photo: PETER MUHLY, AFP/Getty Images

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The fligh deck of an Airbus A318 Elite Business Jet is seen at the Asian Aerospace Show in Hong Kong.

The fligh deck of an Airbus A318 Elite Business Jet is seen at the Asian Aerospace Show in Hong Kong.

Photo: Associated Press

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Here's the flight deck of an Airbus A380. At left is the sidestick, which Airbus uses instead of a more traditional yoke. On screen in front of the pilot's position are views from some of the 35 on-board cameras on the plane. The top view is the scene underneath the aircraft. The bottom view is from a camera mounted on the plane's vertical tail.

Here's the flight deck of an Airbus A380. At left is the sidestick, which Airbus uses instead of a more traditional yoke. On screen in front of the pilot's position are views from some of the 35 on-board